This time of year can play havoc with your skin. Freezing temperatures and central heating - not to mention a lack of light and moisture - can our skin look and feel dull and dehydrated. But don’t fear, because help is at hand! John Lewis in Eldon Square has a range of great skincare and make-up counters that can help you to get back in tip-top condition. We had a chat with Deborah Cairns who works on John Lewis’ Clarins counter to get some expert tips on how to look after your skin this winter.
What are the most common problems people face with their skin at this time of year?
Dehydration and lack of luminosity in the skin is what our customers tend to come to us about at this time of year. Dehydration is a skin condition not a skin type, so anybody can get dehydrated skin. Water evaporates due to thermal shocks in your skin, so it loses water and doesn’t retain it. At this time of year when people are working in different conditions and climates – you go from being in the cold to going into shops and offices with central heating – the condition worsens.
What services do Clarins offer that can help?
Our Express Skincare Service is a bespoke service tailored to you where we’d do a skin check. We check for dehydration, if you have oilier or drier skin, and then we can recommend products based on those conditions.
What kinds of products are ideal for these situations?
Our new hydrating range is called Hydra-Essentiel. The whole range has been relaunched and there’s a serum, lip balm, moisturiser in four different textures – from combination oily skin to a really light moisturiser – and a night cream. The day cream is suitable for all skin types.
What ingredients make for great looking skin?
Plant ingredients are great for the skin and our main ingredient is called Organic Leaf of Life, which is sourced from Madagascar. The plant has a very similar cross-section to our skin, but the plant retains water longer than our skin does. When you use it, it puts water back into the skin and the water stays there longer. We’re also adding hyaluronic acid, which is a really popular ingredient at the moment – basically it adds a shot of water to the skin, you get instant luminosity and it plumps the skin up. Our products care about the environment too, so we use recycled products for the glass and packaging and we use sustainable materials, we always put back what we take.
People might assume women think more about skincare, but men need to look after skin too. Tell us about your men’s range.
We do three different moisturisers for different skin types, which contain the same ingredients but also have an extra powerful hydrating ingredient too because men’s skin is thicker, denser and produces a lot more oil and gets more dehydrated than ladies’ skin, so men need a completely different skincare regime to what a lady might have. We offer two different cleansers, a range of moisturisers for different skin types and textures, and we have a new shaving range called the Shave and Beard Collection, which includes a shaving gel, a toner and a beard oil. They soothe, tone and hydrate the skin.
How about make-up? Are there any particular trends this winter?
Our make-up range is different in that all our make-up contains an element of skincare. The make-up is called Skin Illusion which is formulated along with the iconic Clarins double serum, so it’s a serum foundation which has some of the same plant ingredients contained in the double serum making it really hydrating and luminating. It’s very lightweight in texture and doesn’t dry the skin out so in the winter it’s great for keeping the skin hydrated. Again, it’s got our Leaf of Life plant in it, and we do a whole make-up range which has an element of skincare, so it’s make-up that takes care of your skin.
It’s a great time of year to pamper ourselves. What products would you recommend for a really luxurious treat?
Our iconic product is our double serum, which can be used on men’s or ladies’ skin, and we have a face and eye serum. The double serum for the face has 21 powerful organic plant ingredients which stimulate all the vital functions of the skin. It also contains turmeric, which helps to power-pack the rest of the ingredients. We sell one globally every six seconds, so that tells you how much people love it! It’s a luxurious treat for the skin that consists of oil and water which mimics the skin’s natural ingredients and keeps it balanced and hydrated. Using a serum accelerates your moisturiser, because it penetrates deep into the skin and opens your cells up so your moisturiser can work better. If you use a serum you’ll get much better results from your moisturiser.
So there you have it from the experts! If your skin is feeling tired out, dry and fed up with the winter weather, look no further than the Clarins counter in John Lewis and their range of fantastic products!
